The Sweet Stuff
by YoureMyTicket
Summary: Tom has a little surprise for Sybil, but she has a surprise for him too. Just a well...sweet, one-shot about the night Tom is shown the letter from their anonymous donor.


The Sweet Stuff

Tom stopped in front of the door to their flat and unlocked it as quietly as he could. Sybil had probably fallen asleep in her chair in the living room, something he had been coming home to for a while now, and he did not want to wake her. He especially wanted to slip past her tonight as he had a little surprise for her. He could tell that the fact they could not afford a trip to Downton, together as she insisted, was eating away at her, so he scrimped a little here and there and bought a small box of biscuits to try and cheer her up.

He slowly opened the door and walked in a few steps. He looked to the left and sure enough, there was his wife asleep in her chair with a book in her hand. Tom proceeded to tiptoe to the kitchen and place the box on their modest-sized table. He let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. There were a few letters sitting on the corner of the table, but he paid them little mind, they could wait. He took his coat off and draped it over the back of one of the chairs and then walked confidently and excitedly to his wife's side.

Both of them had a chair in the living room somewhat designated to them for reading. When they were first married they had sat at different ends of the sofa, but more often than not, books and newspapers would be quickly dropped and forgotten in favor of _other_ activities, so they agreed on separate chairs as a way to quell the temptation. It worked...to a degree.

Tom knelt down on one knee so that he was level with her slightly protruding stomach. "Now what have I told you about wearing your mother out, eh? You have to be good to her or I won't be giving you any sweets."

"Did someone say sweets?"

"Maybe." Tom smiled as he stood up slightly to kiss his wife. "Hello, love."

"Hello, darling." Sybil put her book down on the side table. "So, what are they for?"

Tom stood up and then leaned over her, putting his hands on the armrests of her chair. "They're for you of course."

Sybil's eyebrows knitted together in thought, "For me? Why?" She started playing with one of the buttons on his waistcoat as she went through the dates of holidays and special events in her head. Her birthday and their anniversary was still a while off. Christmas was a couple months ago and even Valentine's Day had come and gone.

"Because you're wonderful," Tom simply answered.

"Oh, is that it? Well, you're rather wonderful too," Sybil lifted her chin up so that she could give her wonderful husband a kiss.

"And a contact of mine told me that you have a sweet tooth."

Sybil quirked an skeptical eyebrow, "A contact?"

Tom looked down, past her face, and began to draw circles and swirls on her stomach. "Aye, but I can't tell you who, this person is my number one informant, so it's all highly confidential, as you know."

"Mmm, well, we'll see later how well you hold up to my questioning." Sybil leaned forward and put both of her hands flat against his chest and lightly pushed him away so that she could stand. "But first, I have something for you as well." She guided Tom to his own chair.

"Do you? For me?" Tom's eyes widened and he began to fantasize about what his wife had in store for him as he sat down.

"Actually, it's for the both of us." Sybil leaned in close, like he had a few seconds ago, as if she was going to kiss him. She whispered, "A mystery." Then she pulled back and started to walk to the kitchen.

Sybil briefly stopped and turned back to her husband. She was smirking, "Maybe your "contact" can figure out who it's from."

Tom tried to give her a look that would let her know that she would not be getting away with that so easily. He would have gone after her, had his legs not been turned to jelly, but instead he focused on bringing his heart rate back down.

As she left the kitchen, he saw one of the letters in her hand. He welcomed her onto his lap and noticed that she was also having one of the biscuits he bought for her, "Hey now, you'll spoil your dinner. And you're setting a bad examp—" Sybil held up one for him. "Never mind." He accepted the biscuit and then looked down to speak to the baby. "Let's just hope you inherit your mother's generous heart."

"If you think I'm generous, just wait until you read this."


End file.
